Traders Purchase Large Volume of Put Options on Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI)

Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Traders acquired 5,620 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 53% compared to the typical daily volume of 3,675 put options.

Johnson Controls International Price Performance

JCI stock traded up $0.21 on Wednesday, hitting $104.05. 942,556 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,631,985. The stock has a market cap of $68.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.33. Johnson Controls International has a 1-year low of $64.31 and a 1-year high of $105.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $91.87 and a 200-day moving average of $85.16.

Johnson Controls International (NYSE:JCI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $5.68 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.64 billion. Johnson Controls International had a net margin of 10.19% and a return on equity of 15.13%. The company's revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.78 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Johnson Controls International will post 3.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Johnson Controls International declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Friday, June 13th that allows the company to buyback $9.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 13.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Johnson Controls International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 18th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 23rd will be paid a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 23rd. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.42%. Johnson Controls International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.47%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director George Oliver sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.70, for a total value of $9,170,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 904,305 shares of the company's stock, valued at $82,924,768.50. This represents a 9.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Nathan D. Manning sold 1,422 shares of Johnson Controls International stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.91, for a total value of $123,586.02. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 144,704 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,576,224.64. The trade was a 0.97% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 147,555 shares of company stock worth $13,669,414. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in JCI. Truvestments Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 425.0% during the first quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 315 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 255 shares in the last quarter. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Johnson Controls International in the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its holdings in Johnson Controls International by 74.5% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 363 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Johnson Controls International during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Activest Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Johnson Controls International by 56.4% during the first quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 369 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the period. 90.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on JCI shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Johnson Controls International from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $101.00 to $112.00 in a research report on Monday, May 12th. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $116.00 target price (up from $103.00) on shares of Johnson Controls International in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Johnson Controls International from $82.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Johnson Controls International from $100.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on Johnson Controls International from $95.00 to $85.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Johnson Controls International currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $97.88.

About Johnson Controls International

Johnson Controls International plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in engineering, manufacturing, commissioning, and retrofitting building products and systems in the United States, Europe, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. It operates in four segments: Building Solutions North America, Building Solutions EMEA/LA, Building Solutions Asia Pacific, and Global Products.

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